The OSINT Podcast

This episode covers Issues 103 and 104 of The OSINT Newsletter and focuses on two distinct but complementary areas: understanding the Dark Web as an intelligence source, and using live traffic data and cameras to build real-time situational awareness. Get full access to The OSINT Newsletter at osintnewsletter.com/subscribe

In Episode 15 of The OSINT Podcast, host Jake Creps covers Issues 99 and 100 of The OSINT Newsletter and focuses on two essential aspects of modern OSINT: processing large datasets locally using efficient tools, and developing your investigative skill set through consistent, ethical practice. Get full access to The OSINT Newsletter at osintnewsletter.com/subscribe

In Episode 13 of The OSINT Podcast, we cover two critical skills every serious investigator needs: finding where something happened and making sure you don’t waste time getting there.First, we break down Issue #95 and the fundamentals of geolocation OSINT. From visual pattern recognition and shadow analysis to metadata extraction and AI-assisted tools, we explore how to place digital evidence into real-world context. If you’ve ever wanted to verify an image, pinpoint a video location, or sharpen your GEOINT workflow, this episode is your field guide.Then we shift to Issue #96: how to avoid duplication of effort and organize your investigations properly. Planning intelligence requirements, using tools like Deadupe, and building lightweight case management systems in Obsidian can dramatically improve efficiency and ROI.Whether you’re competing in CTFs, running professional investigations, or just sharpening your OSINT tradecraft, this episode will help you think more strategically, move faster, and work smarter.Let’s get started. Get full access to The OSINT Newsletter at osintnewsletter.com/subscribe

This episode covers Issues 91 and 92 of The OSINT Newsletter and explores how investigators are actually using AI today, how new OSINT methods are discovered, and which tools are quietly changing how modern investigations get done.In Episode 11 of the OSINT Podcast, host Jake Creps breaks down practical AI workflows, realistic prompting strategies, and the growing toolkit of AI-assisted OSINT tools. The conversation then shifts into how new OSINT methods emerge, why most of them expire, and what separates useful research from gimmicks. Get full access to The OSINT Newsletter at osintnewsletter.com/subscribe

From image analysis and shadow investigation to offline sources and large scale platform analysis, this episode covers Issue 88 and 89 of The OSINT Newsletter.In the ninth episode of the rebooted OSINT Podcast, host Jake Creps explores how modern OSINT investigations increasingly rely on context, methodology, and synthesis rather than just tools alone. The discussion moves from pixels and shadows to books, archives, and social platforms, showing how investigators can widen their field of view without losing rigor.Highlights include:🖼️ Image OSINT That Goes Beyond Tools – why reverse image search is only the starting point, and how faces, objects, backgrounds, and reflections all become investigative pivots.🎨 The Full Paintbox – a practical breakdown of when and why to use Yandex, PimEyes, Lenso.ai, TinEye, Google Lens, and Bing Visual Search together rather than in isolation.🧠 Priming Images for Better Results – background removal, smart cropping, and AI restoration techniques that dramatically improve search outcomes.🌑 Investigating Shadows – how tools like ShadeMap can be used to chronolocate images when time or place is missing, and where the limits of shadow analysis lie.📚 Offline OSINT – why some of the most valuable intelligence still lives in obscure books, fringe publications, and physical archives, and how to integrate them into modern workflows.🎭 Office Stunt Doubles – a discussion on visual misdirection, room doubles, and how small photographic details have been used to infer high level locations.🌐 Searching for Groups – exploring emerging tools like Waybien and the ongoing challenge of discovering Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and Facebook groups at scale.📊 Investigating X Account Locations at Scale – a walkthrough of a custom browser extension that collects quotes and retweets, extracts account locations, and outputs structured data for influence analysis.🔮 OSINT Trends for 2026 – AI content validation, agentic AI, and synthetic influence campaigns, and what investigators should prepare for going into the new year.Throughout the episode, the focus stays on tradecraft over hype, emphasizing methodology, limitations, and ethical considerations at every step.ReferencesImage OSINT That Goes Beyond Tools (Issue 88)OSINT Trends for 2026 | Office Stunt Doubles | Offline OSINT (Issue 89)Anna’s Archive | ShadeMap | WaybienInvestigating X Account Locations at Scale Get full access to The OSINT Newsletter at osintnewsletter.com/subscribe

From first usernames to full-stack contributions.From beginner-friendly handle hunting to AI-assisted tool-building, this episode covers everything from Issue 84 and 85 of The OSINT Newsletter.In the seventh episode of the rebooted OSINT Podcast, host @jakecreps breaks down two back-to-back issues: one focused on the fundamentals of username OSINT for new investigators, and another on how to use AI to improve and contribute to open-source OSINT tools.Highlights include:🧠 Username OSINT That Goes Beyond Tools – how to search, pivot, and build identity profiles using nothing but usernames and logic.🔡 Generating Variants – predictable patterns, heuristics, and how to use AI to automate your variant lists.🕵️ Pivoting Like a Pro – following digital breadcrumbs from handle → profile → email → employer → full identity.⚙️ Contributing to Free OSINT Tools Using AI – fixing bugs, adding features, and building interfaces directly in VS Code.⚡ OPSEC and AI – why your prompts can be subpoenaed, and how to protect your workflow.🛰️ Tools to Try Now – BF Database Search, GeoVLM, and WebRecon for real-world recon and geolocation.🌏 OSINT Tips for China – Justen Charters’ method for tracking Chinese infrastructure companies overseas.💬 OSINT for Bad – understanding how open data can be weaponised, and why ethical tradecraft matters more than ever.Each segment builds on the last — showing how curiosity, caution, and a few lines of AI-assisted code can take your investigations to the next level.References:* Username OSINT That Goes Beyond Tools (Issue 84)* Contributing to Free OSINT Tools Using AI (Issue 85)* BF Database Search | GeoVLM | WebRecon* OSINT Tips for China | OSINT for Bad | DHS Prompt Warrant Story Get full access to The OSINT Newsletter at osintnewsletter.com/subscribe

In the fifth episode of the rebooted OSINT Podcast, host Jake Creps explores how open-source intelligence is evolving - and what it means as the field matures. This instalment highlights new tools, recent investigations, and practical insights into making data more accessible, visual, and verifiable.Highlights include:📰 A Raw Take on OSINT’s Broken State – why OSINT is reaching a turning point, and what adopting clearer standards could look like.📚 OSINT At Home #26: Top 5 Hacks to Find Deleted Websites, Posts and Secret Changes – simple but powerful ways to get more out of the Internet Archive.📊 New Immigration Enforcement Dashboard – how ICE arrest data is now easier to analyse through the Deportation Data Project.🔎 JSON Crack – visualise complex JSON files and understand large datasets at a glance.🧩 Cold Relation – a flexible multi-tool for cross-platform social media analysis.📁 NSCO Start.me Collection – hundreds of curated bookmarks covering breach data, dark web sources, and regional OSINT hubs.Each segment showcases practical workflows for everyday investigators while reflecting on how OSINT is changing as both a discipline and a community.References:* A Raw Take on OSINT’s Broken State* OSINT At Home #26* New Immigration Enforcement Dashboard* JSON Crack* Cold Relation* NSCO Start.me Collection Get full access to The OSINT Newsletter at osintnewsletter.com/subscribe

Tools, tactics, and investigations that show both the power and the risks of open-source intelligence.In the third episode of the rebooted OSINT Podcast, host Jake Creps explores a mix of new tools and hard-hitting case studies that highlight how investigators can find, process, and analyse information at scale. From browser extensions that reveal hidden metadata to frameworks that structure analysis, this episode dives into the cutting edge of OSINT tradecraft.Highlights include:* 🔎 VSCO SPY – a Chrome extension that reveals hidden metadata on VSCO photos, including geolocation, device details, and timestamps.* 🕵️ Shodan-hash – a CLI tool for pivoting on favicons, headers, and HTML to uncover related infrastructure.* 🎥 TikSpyder – a clever tool that combines Google search with Apify to make TikTok easier to investigate.* 🌍 West Papua bot network – how investigators exposed a $300,000 influence operation using only free OSINT tools.* 🧩 The Analytical Hierarchy of OSINT – why structure matters, and how to turn raw data into actionable intelligence.* ⚠️ Malicious uses of OSINT – how cybercriminals weaponise public data for attacks, from Sony Pictures to MGM and beyond.Each segment unpacks how these methods work in practice, what risks they highlight, and how OSINT practitioners can adapt their own investigations accordingly.Sources & Links:* Full show notes and newsletter: OSINTNewsletter.com/79* VSCO SPY – Chrome Extension* Shodan-hash CLI* TikSpyder – GitHub* West Papua Bot Network* The Analytical Hierarchy of OSINT* Malicious Uses of OSINT Get full access to The OSINT Newsletter at osintnewsletter.com/subscribe

Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on Substack. In the first episode of the rebooted OSINT Podcast, host Jake Creps dives into the latest trends, tools, and investigations shaping open-source intelligence. Topics include OSINT’s role in counterterrorism, monitoring Chinese content for geopolitical insights, the risks of publicly indexed ChatGPT conversations, and creative pivots like SoundCloud-to-YouTube tracking. Jake also explores practical tools, from bookmarklets to geolocation training, and how AI-powered setups like VS Code + Copilot can supercharge investigations.Sources & Links:Full show notes & newsletter: OSINTNewsletter.com/77* Op-Ed: David Cook – How Publicly Available Clues Could Thwart the Next Lone Actor Terror Attack (https://washingtonreporter.news/p/op-ed-david-cook-how-publicly-available)* Investigating Chinese Content for OSINT – Justin Charters (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/justen-charters-1b99a953_chinese-osint-tips-1-belt-and-road-activity-7354278158306566144-p7Xz/)* ChatGPT Public Conversations Indexed on Google – Oliver Molander(https://www.linkedin.com/posts/olivermolander_artificialintelligence-activity-7356621639284862976-jlEL/)* New OSINT Bookmarklets from My OSINT Training – Micah Hoffman* BandLab: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/micahhoffman_another-osint-bookmarklet-this-bandlab-user-activity-7353427318880538625-cjsC/* TikTok: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/micahhoffman_extract-dates-from-tiktok-urls-with-click-activity-7353086892084482048-dkJh/* TraceTracks (https://github.com/Oblivios/TraceTracks)* GeoHints (https://geohints.com/) Get full access to The OSINT Newsletter at osintnewsletter.com/subscribe